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Nashua boy, 2, in critical condition after police say his mother hit him in head

NASHUA - A young mother is accused of assaulting her two-year-old son last week, causing severe brain injury and requiring the child to undergo surgery.

Unique S. Gould, 21, of 8 Ash Court, has been charged with first-degree assault for allegedly causing serious bodily injury to her son by "striking him in the head," according to court documents.

The child is still in critical condition, police said Tuesday.The two-year-old boy, identified on Gould's Facebook page as Devon, was transported to Massachusetts General Hospital where he underwent surgery after "significant head trauma and inter-cranial bleeding" was found by doctors at Southern New Hampshire Medical Center, according to court records.

According to a police affidavit on file at the 9th Circuit Court, Nashua District Division, an AMR ambulance arrived at Gould's residence Friday after Gould was having trouble waking her son.

The boy was transported to Southern New Hampshire Medical Center and eventually to Massachusetts General Hospital because of the severe brain injury, court documents indicated.

According to Nashua police Detective Marc Anderson's affidavit, Gould was interviewed by two detectives, at which time she allegedly acknowledged spanking her son on Thursday evening.

"She admitted that she struck (him) numerous times on his buttocks and confirmed that she also struck him in the head with her hand. Gould made admissions that she 'blacked out' at one point, and admitted to hitting (him) very hard," the affidavit said.

Gould was arraigned Monday on the first-degree assault charge, a felony, when bail was increased from $50,000 to $100,000 cash only. If released, she has been ordered to have no contact with her son or anyone under the age of 17 except for her younger sister.

Relatives say they are not ready to speak about the charges against Gould. "I am not at liberty to say anything at this time," said Martha Gould, her sister, when reached by phone Tuesday.

Capt. George McCarthy of the Nashua Police Department said Tuesday that Gould's son is alive, but he is still in critical condition.

"With this particular investigation, I am not going to comment further. There are still things I am waiting for," said McCarthy. "We are certainly looking into the investigation."

McCarthy would not elaborate on why a press release was not provided to the media, which is typical for most felony arrests that occur in Nashua.

He also refused to comment on whether Gould may have been impaired at the time of the alleged assault, given her statement to police about possibly blacking out during the incident.

There is a short posting on Gould's Facebook page identifying herself as a single mother of an almost two-year-old boy, Devon. "I love him to death," she wrote.

His second birthday was March 16, according to court documents. Gould has signed a waiver of extradition and was advised of and waived her Miranda rights, according to court records.